Rider of the Desert
by the lale
Summary: Eliena is a thief who has stolen an egg of Galaborix, by mistake. The egg hatched (to her surprise) and now, she is a rider and not just any rider. She is the rider of the desert and this is her story of courage and adventure. Of course, she meets Eragon.
1. The New Rider

Eliena looked into the sky, looking for the familiar patch of emerald green. It was a lovely night, the sky a dark blue with stars twinkling upon the observers. The moon hung high in the sky, illuminating everything around the earth and casting dark shadows. Eliena put her arms under her head as she lay in the sand, looking at the beautiful stars. The sand stretched on for miles in every direction, just like the sky.

_Where are you?_ Eliena thought to the familiar voice in her head.

_Still hunting. I'll be back soon. I brought something for you too. _The deep yet musical voice replied.

_Okay, sure. _Eliena answered. With that, she stared more deeply in the sky, looking for anything green.

_You know, I'm still far away. You can't really see me in the sky. _Answered the voice again.

Eliena, embarrassed that she couldn't way more than a few minute, replied, _I _was _not looking for you Mr. I'm so great. _

_Yeah right, like I believe that. _The voice replied sarcastically, yet with a sense of amusement.

_Fine, so I was looking. Big deal! I'm alone and bored here. What do you expect me to do?_ Replied Eliena angrily and yet also very embarrassed.

_No need to shout. I can hear you fine. Aren't I always right? _Asked the voice smugly.

_You know, sometimes, we have to practice kicking down your ego a bit. _

_Ha ha, watch out, I'm coming in for landing. _As soon as the words were said, a huge emerald green dragon landed next to Eliena from out of the air. The dragon was at least two stories high and with its wings spread, at least five stories wide. It was also very long and stretching from its tail to its nose, it measures at least six stories. The scales shone a glistening emerald and his eyes burned brightly like emeralds. The girl's eyes matched her dragons.

"What took you so long?" asked Eliena.

_I was chasing some very fast livestock. Of course, I succeeded. I also brought back some bread for you along with some meat. _

"Were you seen by anybody?" Eliena took the package that the dragon was holding in its claws and sat by the small fire she made. She quickly put the meat on a stick and started slowly roasting it in the fire.

_Of course not, _was the confident reply.

"Thanks so much for the food," with that, Eliena hugged the emerald dragon. The dragon snaked his head around his beloved owner and rested his huge head on her small shoulders.

_You really are thin. I really think you should eat more, _came the concerned response after the hug.

"Now you sound like my mother." Eliena almost wanted to take the words back the minute they came out. She had not thought about family for eight years now.

The dragon inclined his head to her and offered her comfort. _Don't worry, we'll find the murders. Also, they are not your real parents. Why do you care so much when you are not their flesh and blood? And you only had been with them for a few years before you were shunned into the streets. _

The answer was too hurtful to even be said. Eliena just hugged the dragon tighter and sniffed for a few minutes. She was not one to cry and she will definitely not start now. After a few moments, Eliena went back to the meat roasting by the fire. The dragon folded his wings gently and laid down around her, providing her with warmth. He gently placed his head in her lap and closed his eyes. It had been a tough day for both of them.

They ran from some villagers who saw Eliena stealing some bread and leather. The bread was for food and the leather was for the new riding harness for Emerlden, her dragon. The old one had already worn out and she needed new leather. Of course, with no money on her, the only thing she could do was steal from the villages next to the desert. She had traveled across the desert with Emerlden for three months now. The rode at night and slept during the day. The desert was their home. Now that they were on the other side of it, the side away from the empire, they couldn't remember the reason for going across it. Eliena and Emerlden had already decided to stay in the desert. But first, they needed provisions from the villages near by.

Of course, the only way for a poor dragon rider to access supplies was stealing. That was something Eliena was skilled at. She had stolen everything in her life that she needed, and even things accidental, like Emerlden.

Today, she was caught as she stole the much needed leather. They needed to move on to the next village or else they would surely be caught the next time they needed to steal. Eliena forbid Emerlden to steal or there would be too many rumors and cause the king's men to come all the way across the desert looking for them. She could not risk such things.

Unlike the other rider, she was not known to the world and she liked it to be kept that way.

"So we need to move on to the next village tomorrow, right?" asked Eliena as she chewed on the meat.

_I guess so, how much more stuff do we need? _

"Well, I already finished most of the harness. I need tomorrow for it and then, we can move on. We still need to get a new pair of scissors because this one is already dulled. We need a new pot and some more flint. I also need some new clothes. I need to get some more of this poor farm boy's clothes. It seems rather fitting. And, if you want to head north, I also need a warm jacket and some blankets. I think that's all. Oh, and some more arrows. We have run out and I can't just rely on my sword." Even though she was a renowned swordsman, she needed to hunt. She couldn't just rely on Emerlden.

_Okay, we can do that at the next town. Do you have to steal? _Emerlden did not approve of stealing. He found it immoral but he knew there was no other way.

"What do you think?"

_Fine, and your saying I needed to get my ego checked, _was the curt reply.

"Ha ha, very funny."

_Very well, get some sleep. You'll need it. _

With that, Eliena laid back into her warm dragon and slept. Emerlden watched his beautiful owner and slept with her too while keeping an ear open for intruders.

Eragon stared into the beautiful night sky. It was a beautiful night and he dared not spend it inside of an inn. The vardens were hard to leave behind but he had to fulfill his destiny. Without Murtagh, he was lost. Still, Arya was with him. He would have liked to be friends with her although Arya wasn't so friendly. She only gave him curt replies and answered his questions when she wanted to, and if she did, they were always short and to the point. All he had was Saphira to talk to and keep company.

_Beautiful night right? _Asked Saphira to her lonely rider.

"Yeah, lovely," said Eragon as they floated through the night sky.

_So where are we heading after this?_

"I dunno, probably the next town."

Saphira was thoughtful for a moment and then repeated what she had heard between the elven guards and Arya.

_Another egg has been stolen. _

"What!" came Eragon's reply as he turned his gaze from the lovely sky to Saphira's back.

Arya and the elves just found out today. The varden sent a bird to them and they found the message. Spies from inside the castle got the news to them. Apparently, it was done a long time ago, about the time when you first received me. But the emperor kept it hidden and most of the people of the castle found out in the last month. That was why not much of the king's egg searchers were after us, they were after the thief who stole the egg. 

"So another egg has been stolen. Did the varden do it?"

_No, they had no idea. It was a green egg that had been stolen. If it hatches, we are not the only riders on this earth besides Galbatorix. _

"How can it hatch? I mean millions of potential people of the emperors try to touch it every year and nothing. I mean how is it possible?"

_Don't underestimate the people, Eragon. You never know when somebody out there might be chosen, as you have been. _

"So is there any clues to as who stole the egg?"

_None that I can see. Nobody knows but the spies say that it was a common thief. Nobody knows who he works for or who he even is. He only stole one egg though and we have no clue as to whether it hatched or not. There is no trace of any other dragon besides me outside of Urû'baen._

"But your saying there still might be a chance that someone out there has another dragon that's around your age?" asked Eragon quizzically.

_Yes and it would be best for us to find him and train him as one of ourselves._

"Yes your right. It's getting late, lets go back to the inn. With that, Eragon landed a few minutes walk from the village, bid Saphira goodnight and walked back to the inn with more on his mind than ever before.

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my first eragon fic so please review.


	2. Caught Stealing

The next morning, Eliena and Emerlden headed out. Eliena woke early that morning to finish the harness with the stolen leather. Soon, after she broke her fast, she packed the pot and the sleeping roles onto Emerlden. Then, she took the old harness off, carefully cutting out the still useful leather for further use and strapping on the new harness. It fit perfectly and Eliena admired her handiwork.

Eliena climbed carefully onto the dragon, with help from Emerlden. Soon, he soared into the sky and the little mound of sand they made camp to shrunk to the size of an ant.

Carefully, they soared through the morning sky. Eliena enjoyed the wind blowing in her auburn hair and loved the way wind swept past her. Emerlden enjoyed the feeling just as much as his owner. It never got old. Soon, they swept past the sands and flew more and more north.

_Enjoying it, my dear? _

_Absolutely,_ replied Eliena.

_There, is that the village?_ Asked Emerlden as he transferred his vision to Eliena's.

_Yes it is,_ after she saw enough and soon, her vision became her own again. Now, she felt like one with Emerlden, especially with the vision thing. At first, it made her nervous but with more and more practice, they succeeded.

_Okay, I'll land a few miles away from it. Sorry but you'll have to walk the rest. _

_Don't worry; I need the exercise, _assured Eliena.

Soon, they landed near a large dune. The wind blew the sand into Eliena's face and after many minutes of spitting sand onto more sand, Eliena bid farewell to Emerlden and went off towards the city. She needed to steal loads of things and brought a bag for easiness.

Emerlden kept her company as she walked for an hour towards the village. They talked about how she was going to steal, what they planned to do in the north and what they were going to do after.

Eliena didn't know what was to the north. Nothing but forests. But Emerlden wanted to see it and they had nothing better to do. It was the only sensible thing to do. Eliena knew that but it didn't keep the horrible feeling in her stomach down whenever they talked about going to the forests. Eliena had grown to love the desert and it would be hard to leave its wonderful warmth for cold trees.

Pretty soon, Eliena was among the small town. It was quite small, but still bustling busy. Today was market day and the streets were filled with carts selling cabbages to perfume to swords. Sellers yelling to buyers in the streets about their wonderful products.

"Get your fresh handpicked cabbages here!"

"Newly made, durable steel swords!"

As Eliena came upon what she supposed was the main square, she went into action. Not only was she a skilled thief, she was also very hard to notice. Dressed in plain brown leggings and a white shirt with a brown tunic, she looked quite like the farm boy she pretended to be. Her long auburn hair was hidden under a cap and she was completely unnoticeable.

First, she needed to get that new scissor. She walked in the shadows of the streets and quickly came upon the black smith's house. She went around the back of the house and spied. The blacksmith was busy taking down orders of a group of beautiful men, a beautiful woman and a young man. Eliena didn't worry about them and hurried up to where the scissors lay, on a chair. Eliena hid behind the boxes as she closed in on the chair and the people talking around it. Quickly, she crawled to the chair and swiped the scissors. Without making a sound, she crawled out of the blacksmith's stall and hurried on to the next thing on her list. The pot and the flint were easily obtained because the seller wasn't even by his stand. He was flirting with some girl. Eliena also stole from the same stand some spices incase she needed to make some stew or something.

After the cook's place, Eliena hurried to get the arrows which were easily enough to steal for they were hung right on the side of the stand so with one swipe, she got at least a few dozen arrows. Then she moved on to the last thing on her list, the clothes and blankets. She hurried to the weaver's tent to find it filled with people. This was an excellent opportunity for her to steal stuff.

Eliena hurried behind the stands and found the things she needed. Hurriedly, she crawled into the tent. With one swipe, she got a few shirts and leggings along with some tunics. This she stuffed into her bag. Great! The weaver was still talking to his customers. Eliena hurried to the many blankets. As she reached up to take it, she realized that the room grew very quiet. Turning around, she saw that the customers and the weaver were hovering over her, looking quite outraged.

"THIEF!" screamed the weaver as he grabbed hold of Eliena. With a close look, Eliena noticed the customers were the same people at the blacksmith's. Of course! Why didn't she notice before? The customers were all elves. That explained why they were so beautiful. She had read about elves in books before but never seen one. The old thing was the young man who she saw earlier didn't look like an elf. He looked perfectly normal.

No time to think now, thought Eliena as she looked around the tent for an escape. She couldn't afford the whole town catching her. She needed to make her escape, now. With all the force she had, Eliena slammed her elbow into the weaver's stomach. He groaned and instantly dropped his hold on her to hold his own stomach. Eliena grabbed the thickest blanket, slammed it into her bag and ran like hell. She raced through the streets of the town, keeping to the shadows. But she could hear footsteps chasing after her.

Looking behind her, Eliena calculated that there were at least fifty people chasing her. Shoot! This was not suppose to happen. Then turning around, Eliena groaned. Great! Just her luck that she ran straight into a dead end. Quickly thinking, she climbed onto the wall with easy as if she was a cat and ran along the roofs.

Yes, thought Eliena as she jumped from one rooftop to another. They weren't following. Relief filled her as she jumped to the next building. She felt more confident when she saw the end to the line of buildings. The desert was right there. With one more leap, Eliena leaped straight onto the sands of the desert. Crouching to catch her balance, Eliena raced off again, this time, straight towards the desert.

Then, slam, something hit her hard on the head as she ran. The last thing she saw before blackness was the yellow sand of the desert.

When Eragon first saw the boy at the blacksmith's stand, he thought he was only the blacksmith's apprentice, borrowing the scissors. At the weaver's place, he knew the boy was a thief. Eragon placed the boy near the fire. The boy was around fifteen, with pale skin and what seemed like red hair under the pinned cap. In his bag were the stolen things. Eragon didn't want to return them for that would mean handing in the boy and that was something he did not have the heart to do. The other elven soldiers and Arya told him it was the sensible thing to do and the boy will only get in the way if they kept him.

Eragon still was sorry for what he did, hitting the boy with a rock. He simply wanted the boy to stop or at least get his attention. Eragon did not know that the rock actually hit the boy to unconsciousness. He must be getting more powerful than he thought. Only a matter of time before the next stage of his training began, with the elves.

Still Eragon did not have the heart to do turn the boy in after he found the boy unconscious in the sands. He remembered when he was fifteen and trying to feed his family. Although he would have wanted meat back then, he could see the sensibility of the items the boy stole, even though it was a bit odd. First off, the boy stole dozens of arrows but he didn't seem to be carrying a bow.

Eragon sat in the sand around their camp, staring at the boy. Eragon had ordered them to set up camp outside of the village so they didn't have to turn the boy in.

_I like him. _

_You do? _Asked Eragon. Saphira had been staring intently at the boy as long as Eragon had.

_Yes, I think he can be trusted. I can't get into his mind though. I don't know why. He seems to have a barrier around his mind or something. We should keep an eye for him although I think that he can be trusted. _

_I agree, _said Eragon as he ran a loving head along Saphira's nose and then Saphira nuzzled him.

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okay, so thnks for all the reviews and i will try to folo ur suggestions to make the story better. And if this and the next chapter doesnt really folo ur sugestions, then i'm sorry. Just that i already wrote it before the reviews and i'm too lazy to go back and change it so u'll just hav to wait for later chapters.

to saphiraemrys: yes it was suppose to be in italics and i'm sorry i messed that part up. Just goes to show that i suck at editing.

to cristian: first of all, will it kill ya to use some periods or exclamation marks or somethin to show the break in ur run-on sentence. And second of all, Brom said that it was almost impossible to steal another egg and that it was suicide if u tried. Well Eliena just happens to be a very skilled thief so she can steal the egg. How she stole it, i will tell later for she does have a secret and it helped her with stealing the egg. And also, with the Brom thing, he said it was almost impossible so there are still talented people out there who can steal an egg which Brom just doesnt know about, like Eliena. I mean isnt dat what Eragon is all about, how insignifigant people such as farm boys like Eragon, can become something spectacular like a rider. So it is possible and next time, make sure ur email actually works.

And to the rest of you, thnks for the reviews! I luv u all!


	3. Meeting the one

Eliena woke up to the sight of something very shiny and very blue. Then as her mind cleared more she gasped to herself at what she saw, a dragon. It was a little smaller than Emerlden but it was still a dragon. Eliena kept her eyes in slits and didn't move. She didn't know where she was and its best to find out first before telling the enemy you've woken up.

Oh no! Emerlden, thought Eliena. He must be so worried.

_Are you alright? _

It took a while but back came a reply.

_Finally you woke up. I was getting worried. I was about to come down any minute but I knew what you wanted, for me to stay hid. Still I was very worried. Thank goodness you're alright. Are you alright? Did they hurt you? Because if they hurt you, they will be burned to a crisp. _

_Calm down, Emerlden. I'm fine. Where are you?_

_I'm right on top of you. But don't look up, I'm too high to see anyways. Plus that boy and his dragon are looking at you. I don't like this. I'm going down to rescue you. _

_WAIT! No! Don't Emerlden. Trust me, I'm fine. And do you know who those people are? They must be Eragon and Saphira. Can you believe it? We are meeting the first riders. I can escape by myself. Okay? _

It took a while for a reply to come, probably because Emerlden was pondering what to do. Finally the reply came.

_Fine, _came the exasperated reply. _But I'm coming down at any sign of harm. I don't care who they are, they are not harming you._

_Fine, but not now. Where am I?_

_You are in the desert. They have set up camp. Our stuff is in your hand's reach. So you can take it now and run and then I'll pick you up when we are far away enough. Agree? _

After pondering for a while, Eliena had to agree that that was the best plan. She will have time to meet the famous dragon rider later. Now she had to make her escape before they found out anything about her or Emerlden. She knew that they worked for the Varden and probably wanted her to work with them too. She will do no such thing. She will never participate in this war that is about to break lose. She can sense it. She cannot participate in this war and if Eragon and his dragon knew that she was also a rider, she will be forced to join them, and if she disagrees, she will definitely be hunted, just like the emperor is hunting her. Eliena likes her secrets and she liked them kept secret, especially from the prying nose of a rider who must have some sort of magic.

_Sure _

_Okay, I'm flying over you so don't worry. I'll come down if they show any signs of attack. I don't want to loose you, little one. _

Eliena was touched by this and said she didn't want to lose him either.

_Okay, then on three, one two three. _

When Emerlden reached three, Eliena sprang up. With her bag already in hand, she didn't notice anybody around her. She ran straight out of the campsite, ignoring the dragon and the elves. She ran as fast as her legs could carry her and ran through the dunes. Eliena hurried through the sand, aware of the voices and footsteps behind her. Soon, she was out of the camp's site and then she heard the swooping of wings. Glad that Emerlden came, she stopped running and slowed to an easy walk, still holding the bag.

"What took you so long?" she asked without looking.

"What do you mean?" asked another voice.

WHAT! Where was Emerlden? Where is he? Who is this? When Eliena turned her head, she found something a sapphire blue instead of an emerald green. Eliena silently groaned to herself.

The dragon rider swooped down and grabbed hold of her arm, making sure that she couldn't escape this time. Eliena looked at the majestic dragon next to her and the young man. So this was Eragon. He didn't look like much to Eliena. Sure he was strong and he had muscles but he still looked more like a boy than a man.

The elves were also riding their horses and already caught up to Eragon and Eliena. Eragon held Eliena while he was still on the dragon. So anytime he wanted, he could fly up and drop her.

Eliena stood bravely to the twelve soldiers and the woman who came riding on beautiful white horses. She held her head high, not showing any fear.

_Where are you? _asked Eliena as fear started to grow inside of her, although none of it was showing on her face. She will not let these people think of her as a coward.

_I'm coming down right now! I'm saving you!_

_Wait, no!_

But it was too late. A swirling flame of fire circled down upon the elves and the dragon along with her rider. The fire didn't hurt anybody, only blinded them for a moment. Eliena shielded her eyes from the blazing flame but she felt herself being picked up by sharp talons. When she opened her eyes, she was soaring in the sky, looking down on a fire that had already started to stop. Still in her hands was the sack that had caused all this trouble. Soon they were so high up that Eliena couldn't see anything more than black dots.

_Can we go down now, I'm freezing._

_I just have to make sure they don't follow us. NEVER EVER DO THAT AGAIN ELIENA! Do you hear me? You are to never do that ever again. You put yourself in danger for a few measly things. _Emerlden sounded more angry than Eliena ever heard him but she did not blame him. She was the one who intended to steal and she got caught. Never has she been caught stealing before.

_I'm sorry Emerlden. It's just that I got caught stealing and then that rider hit me on the head. _

_Still, no excuses. Prepare yourself, I'm landing. _

Soon they were safely on the ground. Emerlden was flaming mad. She hugged him tight and they embraced each other, girl and dragon, for about five minutes. Then without a word, Eliena placed the things in the pack onto the dragon's saddlebags and took out an extra jacket she had stolen before. She quickly climbed back onto his shoulders and soon, they were off into the night sky once again.

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so i hope u all liked that chapter. I know its a little confusing and if u do hav any questions, please email me or IM me cause if u look at my profile, its all there. i know many of u hav questions or just want to say that theres problems with the story and i can tell u right now, i know there are millions of problems with the story so be patient while i sort through them. i am not the best editor in the world. Actually, i cant edit anything but i'm tryin so giv me a break. Also, i hav to write and upload my other stories too and i do not hav time at all, between school work and friends so srry.

thnks to all those people who reviewed! yay! but i dont know if i should continue this becuase it sounds a little weird so just tell me if u want me to continue or just giv it up.


	4. Sandstorms

When everybody recovered from the blinding fire, they all realized that it did no harm to them at all. Eragon looked at his skin, perfectly smooth with no burns at all.

_Did you just see what I saw?_ asked Eragon as he gazed into the sky, hoping to see what he just saw but to no avail. The sky was perfectly dark with little stars twinkling mischievously as if making fun of him.

_I believe I did little one_,_ but if it is what I think it is, then that must mean…_

_Yes, the other egg has hatched and that little boy with the red hair is the other rider. Can you believe it? Another rider with us._

_Yes, but is he on our side or theirs? _

_I don't know Saphira but I'm going to find out. _

The elves were unhappy about their little misadventure but they hurried on to the forest, now as fast as possible for they were short on time. They were suppose to be there in a week and to Arya, it looks like its going to take at least a month to get there with their slow pace.

She really wished that Eragon would stop wasting time. The arriving of a new rider did tell her that something was going on. If this new rider was another one of Galbatorix's minions or ever related, this would mean terrible things for the Varden and the elves. To her, the dwarves did not care and probably will not. Sure they're helping the Varden out now but who knows when they'll turn and go back to their little holes in the mountains searching for gold. To her, treasure was the only thing on their little minds.

Arya looked irritably at Eragon, trying to talk to the other soldiers. This is going to take forever with his slow pace. Arya rode her white steed over to Eragon's brown horse. Saphira was flying overhead, acting as a scout for any intruders.

"Eragon, we need to hurry up. We have to reach there by next week and at this pace, we are falling behind. We cannot trust these desert people. We must move quickly before we are caught by Galbatorix's minions and then, we will experience death or worse," and with that, she left Eragon and went up to the other soldiers to tell them to hurry.

Faintly in his head, he heard Saphira's mocking laugh.

_Not the angel you thought she was, now is she?_

_Your jealous Saphira. Just jealous, _said an irritable Eragon to the mocking tone.

_Jealous of an elf that spits insults at you. I think not, _replied the laughing voice again.

Hearing the groan and the feeling of hurt, Saphira added, _I am sorry. I should not have spoken like that. Don't worry. If you really like her, she will come around, sooner or later. _

_Thank you Saphira, _said Eragon as he hurried his horse into a running pace to match that of the one Arya was setting so that they could reach their destination on time.

Eliena laughed. She really did enjoy laughing, just under her circumstances, she didn't do it too much. Emerlden looked at his rider. He agreed that she didn't laugh enough. It wasn't good for children her age to not laugh, even under the world they live in.

"Emerlden, do you think we'll ever go home?"

_Go home? Go home to where Eliena?_

"I don't know. Sometimes, I think I want to just walk back into the village and slink back into my bed and pull the covers over my head,"

_Was the village really our home?_

"I don't know. It seems like the only place that seems like home. The city definitely didn't feel like home. It never did. And besides that, there is no home for us in this world," sighed Eliena as she poked at the fire she was able to make out of a few surviving shrubs.

_What about the desert? Isn't that our home? _

"Um, I guess it is. I never really thought about it that way. I guess it's more like our home than anywhere else. We've lived here for so long. After I got you and then you know, with the thing and then the other thing, the desert is where we spent most of our time together. I guess it's like our little home, well actually not so little. But it's the only place we can call home," said Eliena bighting up at the idea of actually having a place that she can call her own. Of course, she did not own the desert but to her, it was the place she belonged without any rules or people chasing after her.

Except for that Eragon and those elves, thought Eliena miserably.

_Yes, those elves are weird. But I don't think they'll stay here for long. They seem to be going somewhere. I think they're heading for the forest since that is where elves dwell. _

"Yes, so we should change our destination, right?"

_Yes. I think we should head deeper into the desert. We have our provisions. The desert is our home now. Do you still wish to see the elves? _

"No I have seen enough elves. I think your right. We should head deeper into the desert. You always love the feel of the heat and I like it too. Especially now that we know how to get water," added Eliena as she let sand run through her fingers.

_Ah, so you have perfected that skill. Can you do it now without tiring yourself out as much as before? _

"Yes, I've been practicing. It seems I have everything under control. Although it still tires me out, it doesn't have that great of an effect on me as before," Eliena said proudly.

_That's wonderful. I think we should start out tomorrow at the first light. It would give us a chance to avoid those elves and that rider. _

"Sure Emerlden, we'll head out first thing tomorrow." Then with that, she banked the fire and curled up next to Emerlden. His body heat protected her from the cold desert nights.

_Good night little one. _

_Good night, _muttered Eliena.

The next morning did not agree with Eliena and Emerlden's plans. Although they left early and made good process heading deep into the desert by flying, a sandstorm soon came that forced them to land and to find shelter. Emerlden used his flame to burn the sand until a hole was created big enough for both him and Eliena. Eliena crawled in first and Emerlden surrounded her with his tough hide. Soon, they were enclosed in that hole, waiting out the rest of the sand storm.

The morning did not agree with the elves and Eragon either. They were trying to make up for lost distance so Arya made them wake early. The sun did not even rise yet as they made their way north. It was a quick pace they traveled in and soon, they had covered the distance they were suppose to travel. The sun quickly came up and made the lands a living hell. Eragon seemed to be the only one who was having trouble for the elves were still their graceful self, not showing any discomfort.

"Hurry, we must reach the forest by tomorrow. Then it will take around a week if we're lucky to reach the elven city," Arya told Eragon as they rode.

Eragon nodded, not knowing what to say in this heat. Soon Arya moved on to the front of the line to ride with the other elven soldiers. Eragon cursed himself mentally. He really did like her.

Snapping away from his thoughts, Eragon saw a cloud to the east. He had thought it would be a cloud, coming to rescue him from the heat. His eyes deceived him as the cloud moved closer. It was not a cloud at all but it was a sandstorm, heading this way. Of course, the elves' sharp eyes had already caught the sandstorm heading their way and quickly they tried to control the panicked horses who sensed the danger. Eragon called for Saphira who tried to make her way to him.

Everything happened so fast that Eragon himself did not know what was going on. First, Saphira landed and the horses got under the soft control of the elves. But they were not ready on time for the sandstorm hit next. Then all Eragon remembered was that his eyes were shut and he was blown this way and that, sometimes hitting the ground and sometimes flying into the air. It was nothing like flying with Saphira because there was no control. He did not know where the others were and although as hard as he tried, he could not communicate with Saphira.

Eragon lost conscience after a third try with Saphira and soon, there was nothing in front of him except for darkness.

Eliena and Emerlden emerged from the sandstorm unharmed, if a bit dirty. Most of Emerlden's hide was covered with sand but a few minutes of careful brushing from Eliena brought his hide back to the shining gleaming emerald green it was before.

"We should travel now. It would get dark soon and its too cold to travel in the dark," announced Eliena after she checked to see if all their stuff was safe, it was, and after she cleaned Emerlden.

_Yes we should start traveling. That sandstorm really did delay us. Hope on. _

With that, Eliena and Emerlden soared into the sky. Eliena loved the feeling of the wind in her long hair, which she let out of the cap she usually confined it in. It felt wonderful for the rush of cool air to sweep around her after the heat of the desert. Emerlden was right, this is their home. The sands of the desert and the blue sky. She would never leave this for anything else in the world. Home. It felt good to have a home. She never really had a home, what with being a thief and then early on, traveling from one village to another.

Eliena banished those thoughts. She was with Emerlden now and that was all that counted. She had a friend and for the first time, a family. Someone she loved was with her and no matter where they are, it will always feel like home. Emerlden felt those thoughts and flashed a smiling image to her. Home was with Emerlden and being with him is all the friends and family she needed.

_What's that down there?_

_What down there? _asked Eliena as she looked down. Her human eyes were nothing compared to the sharpness of Emerlden's.

_That unconscious man, _explained Emerlden as he flashed a picture of the body in the sand below them.

_Should we rescue him?_

_I don't know. Why would a man like that be out in the desert? He should know better, _he said suspiciously as he flew around in circles above the unconscious person.

_He could have been caught in the sandstorm, _reasoned Eliena. _Come on, go down and let's help. _

_As you wish although we should we wary of him. Who knows what he is capable of, _warned Emerlden as he started to land.

On the sands, Eliena discovered someone she did not think she would be meeting again.

"Emerlden, do you.. is he.. Eragon," she finally muttered out.

_Yes, should we leave him?_

"But he's hurt and who knows if those elves or that dragon of his are going to come and rescue him or even find him? And if they do, will he last before then?" Eliena said as she looked over the wounds of Eragon. He had slashes here and there, mostly from the sands. Sand is more vicious than it looks.

_Then what do we do? Take him with us? _

"Well is there any other way?"

Eliena could hear the sigh in his throat as Emerlden thought about it. Even though she doesn't know this Eragon, she has to help. She wasn't as cold hearted as people thought she was when she was Eliena the thief. Emerlden taught her to love and now, she was willing to help a stranger, even though she know of him, while the old Eliena would have robbed him and left him to die.

_Fine, but it will be difficult to carry both of you. I think that we're just a day away from the forest. If we get there, he might recover. There is also water there, which he seems to need, _pointed Emerlden at his chapped lips.

Eliena nodded in agreement and she saddled Eragon in front of her. Strapping him in place, she climbed on after him. Eliena blushed when she realized that this was the first time she was so close to a boy. Before she would either be robbing him or just killing him. But this was the first time she was so close to someone who she had no "financial" business with. Emerlden felt the blush and chuckled to himself, which made her blush more.

Lifting off, they flew for most of the afternoon and into the night. Eliena made sure that Eragon was kept warm during the cold night and didn't sleep a wink. He didn't look too good and seems to have developed sunstroke along with the cuts he was bleeding from. They weren't big cuts and most of them dried already into thick reddish blackish clots but there was a cut on his head that ran across his forehead. He must have been thrown to the ground or something.

"Hang on Eragon, we're almost there," said Eliena as she saw the tall trees of the forest looming ahead at the first light of the morning.

_hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh_

Oh by the way, this is the end of the story because i dont want to write it anymore. Srry but i just hate Eragon.

LOL, APRIL FOOLS! ok, so it was a bad joke but anyways, happy april fools day. i will have a really good one cause i'm putting unwashable ink on my friend's face. And i didnt mean anything on the top. i will update regularly and i luv eragon! cant wait until the second book!

okay, so that was longer than anything i've written here. Actually it was 6 pages long but i had to cut some stuff out which will be in the next chapter cause it would have been way too long. Anyways, i hope i hav improved my writting and i hope everybody likes it. Thanks so much for the reviews, i luv u all cause i just wont write without any reviews cause to me, it would be pointless cause nobody is reading. Ok, i'm just blabbing now cause i'm really bored. Who said Spring Break was suppose to be fun? Anyways, i hope u pplz like it and u better review!


	5. The Forest

Arya opened her eyes to the yellow desert sands. She could not think why they were there and then, all of a sudden, the memories came flooding back. She remembered Eragon flying off into the sandstorm along with almost all the other elven soldiers. Some were smart enough to bury a hole and tried to stay put. Others, like herself were captured by the storm.

Arya looked around. Most of the elves were there, some treating wounds and some scouting out for others.

Arya headed to the closest soldier to her, also the one who was second in command after her of their little group.

"How many are missing?" she asked as she accepted water from another elf.

"Two soldiers are missing. One was found dead," said the soldier, Arrok, with a sad bow of his head to honor the dead.

"What about the rider and the dragon?" asked Arya as she examined the site with her sharp eyes. Both were not in sight.

"The dragon is safe. The rider is… gone," muttered Arrok with another bow of his head.

"What do you mean gone? Is he dead or is he lost?" asked Arya hurriedly.

"I mean there is no trace of him anywhere, your ladyship. He was not found by any of us. Some say he was blown eastward, to the middle of the desert. His dragon is searching for him as we speak. She is flying eastward."

"But is he dead?" asked Arya anxiously.

There was no response but finally, Arrok spoke, "The dragon thinks that he is alive."

Arya breathed a sigh of relief but, "There's more," said Arrok.

"Well what is it?"

"Galbatorix's army is marching in the desert. An army or Urgals," finally announced the soldier.

Arya dropped to the sand. She had failed. Eragon was probably in their hands by now. Maybe not dead like Saphira reported but he is in the enemy's hands and to her that is worse than death. She was selected to bring Eragon, their one last hope, back safely to the elves. Now, she has failed.

"Where is Saphira?" asked Arya in a cracking voice.

"She is searching for any trace of him, just in case he did not get captured."

"Good. Try to find the last two soldiers. We will be heading to Du Weldenvarden soon. Get them ready. We will wait until Saphira gets back and then we move on," Arya said with a finality in her voice that even Arrok did not dare argue with.

"As you wish," and with that, he left her to tell the orders to the others.

Arya knew she was to find Eragon but if Saphira couldn't find him, then there was no way they can. She would have to wait until they get to Du Weldenvarden where then, she can tell the queen what happened and find a solution. Surely Galbatorix would not kill Eragon. He would be smarter than that. He would probably use Eragon or try to have Eragon join him.

"Arya," said Arrok hesitantly as he approached her.

"Yes."

"We have found the two missing soldiers. One is dead and the other one is fine. Should we get moving?" asked Arrok.

"Yes, bury the dead and move on," Arrok gave a disappointing look when Arya said that for it is Elfish custom to bury the dead with their families. When Arya saw the look, she quickly added, "We do not have the time or the strength to carry them along with the sick and wounded. We must move on without them. Make it a good burial and make sure to tell their families when we get back."

Arrok knew there was nothing left to do so he got up and gave the orders. Soon they were moving on into the forest.

"How long does he sleep?" asked Eliena softly to Emerlden while looking at Eragon.

He had been unconscious for about three days since they came into the forest. Emerlden dropped them off in a secluded area near a pond. His wounds were easy to heal when she found some of the right herbs in the forest. Not only did she know herb lore, she knew more than enough to keep herself alive out there. But that was part of a past life. A life she didn't lead anymore.

_I have no idea but you must be patient Eliena. He will soon revive. You have healed his wounds and he doesn't seem to be in much of a critical condition anymore. You must be patient. _

"But you know patience is not one of my good qualities."

_Well than you must practice that. Why not practice that magic thing you do or try to practice your swordsmanship. It needs lots of improvement. _

"You sound like you know everything," sneered Eliena but she did pick up her sword from her bag and swung it around. She practiced the movements that were drilled into her from her early age. A swing there and a kick there. Swinging her sword as if in a dance, she swirled and swung and ducked and kicked to an invisible opponent.

Finally, half an hour later, she stopped, with beads of sweat running down her flushed face.

"Not so bad is it?" she said proudly to Emerlden.

_Actually it has been quite improved but it did keep you occupied for half an hour, _grinned Emerlden.

Eliena was about to argue back when she realized that it did keep her occupied and kept her impatience at bay. So instead of saying anything because she knew she was wrong, she just scowled at losing which caused a merry chuckle from Emerlden.

"So what are we going to do with him when he wakes up?" Eliena questioned as she put her sword away and wiped her face with a damp rag.

_I don't know. You were the one who rescued him._

"Maybe we should rob him and then throw him out in the desert?" asked Eliena half jokingly.

_Very funny. What are we really going to do with him? If he does wake up, then his dragon will be here and then he'll know more about us than we want him to know and he already knows enough. _

"Well we _could_ just throw him out now. Or better yet, he can stay here and we can go back to the desert. Yeah, that's a great plan. I mean we always planned to live in the desert for eternity and its not like he'll die here," answered Eliena intelligently.

_And what if some creature comes up and eats him while he's unconscious? _

"Well than it's his problem. I mean we already went through enough trouble healing him and staying in this damp place for three days. I think it's enough," whined Eliena.

_Then why did we go through all that trouble saving him if he's going to get eaten in the end. _

Eliena tried to come up with a response but couldn't. Emerlden's words made sense and she couldn't just leave him here.

"Fine, we'll take care of him," she sighed as she went back to her bag and took out a rather old and long book. _Might as well read if we're going to be here a long time, _thought Eliena as she opened her book.

Emerlden chuckled and suddenly flew up for his daily hunt for food.

_asasasasasasasasasasasasasasasasasassasasassasasasasasasasasassasassasasasasasasasassasasasasasassasasasasasas_

sorry its so short but thats all I could do for the time being. I will have more action next chapter and Eragon will finally wake up. so please review!


	6. Dreams

The wind howled and rain splattered on the cobbled streets of the most famous city of Alagaësia. Eliena moved swiftly over the rooftops, jumping over this one and that, careful not to slide off of the tiles. Her clock and dark clothes made her a mere shadow in the distance. Lightening struck in the sky as she ran swiftly. Thunder boomed but she paid no attention to it. All she did was run.

As she grew near to the castle, with its gleaming golden towers, now dark in the rain and night, she did not stop. She ran on over the rooftops. At the last house before the gates of the castle, she stopped. Her emerald eyes searched the castle, her eyes never stopping as they searched. She did not blink as she watched soldiers make their rounds and shivering in the rain. She did not blink when rain went into her eyes. As Urû'baen most trusted assassin and thief, she was a professional and did not fail.

Thoughts raced through her mind of stealing something so precious that she could retire at the age of only fourteen. Her eyes still searched and then, she leaped. The castle gates were at least a few good feet away from the rooftop she had previously occupied but somehow, she made it to the other side without a single scratch and landed right on the top of the walls. Fortunately, the guard had just went past here and would not return for a few minutes. Was it fortune, or was it careful planning?

She made herself a shadow to the walls and silently slides to the ladders where she climbed down to the courtyard below. Near her were at least two soldiers but they did not see her in the night and the rain. Keeping close to the wall, she made her way to the back entrance of the castle.

As silent as a cat, she opened the doors to the servant entrance and slide in. She only knew about the entrance as she studied the castle more and more. She had robbed about every single rich person in Urû'baen and the castle was her next challenge. Some said you will never make it out of there alive with all the guards but that just made Eliena want it more. No matter what she steals or how dangerous it is, she would never ever turn down a challenge and the castle seemed like the perfect challenge there is.

It was so dark in there that a regular person could not see their hand in front of their face, but this was the most trustworthy and best thief in Urû'baen. She did not have a problem with seeing in the dark. No servants were in sight, most probably asleep, as she made her way up the stairs.

Eliena didn't know what she was searching for but she did know that something valuable was here and all she had to do was find it. Maybe a crown or some gold or even some rich nobleman's jewelry that could feed a whole village. As she climbed the stairs of the servant's quarters, she came across many doors but she did not enter. She climbed further until she reached the top. Disappointed, she saw that there was absolutely nothing there, not even a door. As she was about to head downstairs, something caught her eye. It was a trap door. Right under her feet, it was there. Yet it was so highly concealed even she didn't see it at a first glance. She doubted any of the servants were even able to see it even if they put a light to the entrance and stared at it for hours.

Carefully lifting it, she looked down into the room. She gasped softly at the room full of soldiers and weapons. It wasn't just any room, it was a fully protected room that to her eyes had only one door which seemed to be made out of very tough steel and inside

the room, there were at least twenty soldiers, each looking stronger than the last.

Why were all these soldiers here? And what are they protecting that is so valuable? Thoughts raced through her minds of the possibilities and ways of getting pass these soldiers. The many soldiers didn't scare her, it just excited her more about the challenge. Whatever it is that they were protecting, it must be valuable. She knew she wanted to do this even if she didn't survive for her pride wouldn't let her get away with not attempting this even if her life was on the stake.

She drew out a dagger from her knee and silently sent it flying to the nearest torch. The torch was knocked over and fire spread over the room. The soldiers were in confusion as some yelled orders and others tried to put out the fire. Eliena smiled to herself. Then, she took out another dagger and sent it flying at another torch which just made the fire grow more. Suddenly, the whole place was on fire including some of the soldiers. Soon, she had all the torches knocked over and burning the soldiers. Since the place was made of stone and not a sound was heard by any other people in the whole castle, the screaming of the soldiers were only heard by her. Watching the soldiers in confusion, she silently slides out of the whole in the ceiling and dropped down to the floor like a cat. None of the soldiers actually saw her for her clock made her look like the dancing flames of the fire and most were occupied by the fire spreading. She made her way to the steal door she saw and tried to open it but it was locked tight.

She cursed to herself but out of nowhere, a soldier came running into her, on fire. He carried a broad sword and aimed it directly at her. Taking out her own sword, she easily blocked his blow and gave him a deep cut on his shoulder. He screamed in pain, but she didn't know if it was from the cut or the fire. He ran towards her but she ducked out of the way in the last possible moment and he hit the door of steal behind her. He collapsed to the floor but made not even an indent in the door. From the soldier's noise, the other soldiers realized Eliena in the room. They surrounded her, some burning and some perfectly fine. Even if she was a skilled swordsman, she did not have the power to take on twenty or so soldiers. She backed into the door and then out of the corner of her eye, she saw a hand print. But strangely it was covered with blood. It wasn't new blood, just dried old blood.

Before she could think, the soldiers all came crashing into her at once. She jumped up but she escaped with a slash on her thigh. Without thinking, she placed her right hand on her thigh to stop the bleeding. Her hands were covered with blood. The soldiers came at her again but she blocked and then, she placed her blood-soaked hand on the imprint of the other. Her hand was smaller but it seemed the same shape as the one on the door. A blinding flash came and the soldiers shielded their eyes as did Eliena. The door flew open and Eliena quickly entered. The soldiers were blocked out as the doors closed after her.

The room she entered was so amazing that she gasped in amazement. It seemed to be carved out of gold. There in the center, was a table made out of gold and on it were two huge jewels. They were a deep crimson and an emerald green. They looked so beautiful that Eliena was entranced. She had seen her fair of jewels as a thief but she had never seen just beautiful things in her life. She stepped forward towards the jewels and touched the green one. It was just the color of her eyes. Also in the room, was a book. It was old, yet very thick. Looking at it oddly, she touched it too. But before she could open it, the doors swung open.

Eliena turned her head and there stood the king. He was a grand figure as they said he was, tall. Eliena gasped in surprise at him.

"So you have broken into here," was all he said as he looked her over.

Eliena couldn't utter a word. She was never afraid but now, she was terrified.

"And your hands are bloodied," he observed again as he looked at her. Nobody was in the room except for the king and her. She knew better than to just swing her sword at him for he was known for his fighting skills and of course, magic.

"Can this mean…" but he didn't finish the sentence. From out of nowhere, an arrow came at her. It came whizzing past and Eliena didn't have the time to dodge. She braced herself for the impact as it came nearer and nearer. She felt the pain as the arrow struck home, right at her heart.

Eliena screamed as she sat up. She looked around her, panting. She was still in the forest, sleeping next to Emerlden. Eragon lay a few feet away from her. _So it was a dream, _she thought as relief swept through her.

_No it was a memory, _came Emerlden's voice. Eliena turned her head and saw Emerlden staring intently at her.

"But I didn't die there. I didn't even meet the king. I stole one egg and the book before they broke the door and came sweeping in. I escaped with a cut on my thigh a shoulder wound. Remember?" asked Eliena.

_Yes but it was still a memory. Your mind changed it somehow. And I still wondered why you were able to get in but the soldiers weren't. Your blood has something to do with it. _

"Don't be ridiculous Emerlden. I mean the king would only program his own blood for the door to open and I don't think I have his blood," said Eliena as she lay back down.

_Still…_

"Just go to sleep. It was probably some stupid nightmare I had," said Eliena as her head fell back towards the grass.

_I wonder…_was all Emerlden said before he lay back down.

_jkjkjkjkjkjkjkjkjkjkjkjkjkjjkjkjkjkjkjkjkjkjjkjkjkjkjkjkjkjkjkjkjjkjkjkjkjkjkjkjkjkjkjkjkjkjkjkjjkjkjkjkjkjkjkjkjkjkjkj_

Okay, so I did promise Eragon would wake up but I'm sooo sorry that he didnt. I totally promise it will be up next chappie. Just that I thought this was good enough for this chapter cause I left sort of a cliffie. So that was a look into the past of Eliena. More of her past will be revealed as we go through the story more. So please review and I promise that Eragon will wake up in the next chapter. Thanks for all the suggestions and please review. Next chapter will be up next monday. Just a note, after the next chapter, the story is going to be suspended for some time because of finals so I cant really update because I have to study. After May, I will start the story again and update more frequently because I have summer vacation. Okay please review.

With much love and thanks,

Lale the Assassin


	7. Eragon

When Eragon first opened his eyes, all he saw was a deep dark green in his field of vision. Nothing more than that deep dark green. Groaning, he rolled over to the side, and saw a bag and some blankets. His head felt like it was on fire and his arms were sore. Finally, he gathered his strength and sat up. The world around him spun in circles and he closed his eyes until he felt the dizziness retreat. Opening his eyes again, he found himself in a clearing in a forest. Next to him was a pond and there was some bags and blankets on the floor around him. Confused, he tried to stand as he supported his body with his arms but he fell down. Looking at his legs, he found them bandaged and very sore.

_Where am I? _was the question that raced through his mind.

_Saphira! _Eragon screamed hoping she would hear him but there was nobody there.

She must be too far away, thought Eragon as he looked around more. He realized that he wasn't in the clothes he was wearing but new ones. Somebody had changed his clothes and had bandaged him. But who? He racked his brains for memories of what happened. _First I was riding with the elves, then I saw some dark clouds, then they approached and then the… sandstorm hit. Of course, the sandstorm! They must have knocked me unconscious and that explains the wounds. But who did this? Who was in the desert that rescued me? It couldn't have been the elves because they aren't around here. And where is Saphira? _

The more Eragon thought about this, the weirder this situation got. How did he get here, in a forest when the last place he's been was the desert. This must be Du Weldenvarden, he finally realized for this is the only thing that was close to the desert that had trees.

Then he was finally in the land of the elves. Amazed, Eragon looked around. The forest seemed no difference from the Spine yet he could tell that the trees were old and they carried stories and secrets within them, from long ago. The air even felt more magical than the Spine. Eragon sat in astonishment at the foliage and the lush vegetation. It was just so beautiful, especially after weeks of traveling in sand. The air was fresh and for once, he didn't feel the roughness of the sand. The soft sweet grass he was sitting on was a wonderful and a welcomed change. He could even hear birds singing their harmonic tune off in the distance of the forest with their sharp yet sweet chirps. He looked up but there was no sky, only the emergent of the trees. But rays of sunlight shone through the top layers and hit the forest floor.

Rustling from the bushes around him brought him back to reality. Listening closely, he knew someone was coming. Quickly, he searched for a place to hide. But there was none and with his bandaged legs, it would be a miracle just for him to get up. He fell back down to the ground and pulled the blanket over him. He closed his eyes again and listened.

"But Emerlden, I don't want to stay here any longer," said a distant voice. Eragon kept his eyes closed and pretended to be asleep. He heard footsteps in the clearing, but there was more than one. There were two sets of footsteps. One was loud and gigantic, the other small and one of a person or maybe an elf. The thought of seeing elves that could possibly help him excited Eragon but he knew better than to make himself known to the enemy. Brom had taught him more than enough to know what to expect under these circumstances.

When the pair entered the clearing, the big footsteps stopped, the little one was walking towards him and the bag. Eragon had his eyes closed and pretended to be asleep. He slowed his breathing and listened. The person stopped in front of the bag and seemed to open it and searching for something inside it. Eragon tried to peak out of his closed eyelids. Opening it slightly, all he saw was red hair. Then the thing turned around suddenly and Eragon closed his eyes quickly again in fear of getting caught. Listening, he heard no movement and hoped to whatever gods out there the person didn't know he was awake.

"So your awake, about time." The person sounded female to Eragon. But who was she talking to? Hopefully it wasn't him. Well he was the only one asleep but was she talking to him. The answer to the question was soon revealed as he still closed his eyes, hoping she wasn't talking to him.

"Yeah I'm talking to you. I know your awake so just don't pretend anymore," said the stern voice again. _How did she know, _thought Eragon. Finally he opened his eyes to a girl around fifteen with long red hair. The thing that surprised him the most was that this girl was the boy he had hit earlier with a rock.

_But that cant is. She was definitely a boy back then, unless… Of course, the hat. She wore a hat to make people think she's a boy and she was wearing boy's clothing. _Eragon looked at her with wide eyes. She was about half a head shorter than he was with long red hair up to her waist. It was flame red. She couldn't have been older than fifteen. She looked small and frail to Eragon but the expression on her face was not one of an inferior and frightened child. It was one of a very annoyed adult. What bothered him the most were her eyes. They were so green that it blended perfectly with the forest and filled with knowledge and secrets that it almost scared him to look at them. Her eyes were that of emeralds, glistening on her tanned face. She would have been perfect, except for her nose, which was scattered with freckles. It was comical to Eragon that such a commanding person would have something as childish as freckles along her nose. It was also rather funny and surprising that her eyebrows and eyelashes were all red too. Relief ran through Eragon as he looked at the girl and laughed at her to himself. Laughter really was the best medicine.

"May I ask your name, miss," Eragon acted like a gentleman to the girl. Although as a farm boy, he never really knew manners, Arya had spent the last week or so teaching him manners so that when he does meet the elf queen, he'll be prepared and not disgrace himself or the name of the riders.

Eliena was rather taken back at the sudden show of manners. But she didn't show it on her face. Instead, she looked thoughtful to Eragon and he thought he had said something wrong. Looking around, he saw that there was nothing else in the clearing except her. _So what made the other footsteps he had heard? It must have been her dragon…_thought Eragon as his attention came back to her.

"My name is Naul," she didn't know why she lied but she just did. Of course, she never wanted this rider to find out about her. Then she would have to go through all that of him wanting to make her a rider and work for the Varden and all that stuff. He already knew she had a dragon because of that little incident where Emerlden rescued her. And he definitely recognized her from those boyish costumes. If he knew more about her, like her name and such, she was a goner.

"You must be Eragon. Well I see you have rested and mostly healed so it was nice meeting you. Well good luck on being a rider. Bye," Eliena spoke quickly as she gathered her stuff and stuffed it in her bag. She wanted to get out of there and she wanted to get out of there fast. Nothing was worse than getting to know other people. It wasn't one of her good qualities. Eragon watched with amazement and amusement as the girl packed blankets and shirts and a very worn book into a small woven bag. She definitely moved with speed.

"You can keep the blanket," the girl pointed to the blanket that he was under. "And the clothes too. It was too big for me but it fits you fine. And your regular clothes are by the pool," Eragon saw her blush just a tiny bit on her tanned skin as she pointed to his clothes. Eragon blushed too. She had taken his clothes off and had bandaged him.

"Well it was nice meeting you." She swung her bag over her thin shoulders and walked towards the woods.

"Um…miss, are you going to leave?" asked Eragon. He knew the answer to the question even before he asked but he was surprised that the girl would leave as soon as he woke. _What was going on?_

"Yes I am," snapped the girl. "What do you think I'm doing? And don't call me miss. The name is Kell."

"Wait, I thought it was Naul," Eragon knew she wasn't telling the truth when she said her name. Now he was positive she wasn't telling the truth. Who could forget their own name?

She swore out loud with some good chosen words, some that Eragon had never heard before. "Fine whatever. It's whatever name you want it to be. Well I'll see you." Eliena started walking again.

"Um… miss, where am I?" Eragon knew he was just trying to stall but he did it anyways. He knew that he didn't want her to leave. She apparently, already knew who he was and he wanted to know who she was. She was definitely a rider and then she could help him and the elves and the Varden. Another rider has risen and it's his job as the first rider to make her help him, the elves and the Varden destroy Galbatorix and start a new kingdom with the riders.

"Your in the elves forest. Its just half a day's walk to the desert if you walk south," snapped the girl. Her back was still to him and she started walking again.

"Wait," Eragon called out again.

Finally, she turned around, clearly angry. "What do you want? Look, I did all that I was supposed to do. I rescued you, I healed you and I waited for you to get better. Now I don't have to stay in this damp place and I don't have to anymore. You're not going to get killed by some beast and if you do, I don't really care now because I want to go home!"

Eliena's face was flushed with anger. She wanted to get out of that forest as soon as possible. It gave her the creeps and it was way too damp for her likings. It was also really cold. And Emerlden was already enjoying the desert while she was stuck here talking to a rider who in the end will want her to join his side of the war that is silently brewing in Alagaësia.

"Will you join the Varden and fight with us?" he asked quickly, after her outburst. He couldn't afford to lose an opportunity like this. She had a dragon and defeating Galbatorix two on one is much faster than just doing it himself.

"WHAT? Of course not! Why would I want to risk my life to fight the kingdom?"

"Because it would create a better kingdom, where people wont die and where innocent children wont lose their parents as they blink. The kingdom now is dieing along with its people. We need to stop it and fight it. We need to fight the Urgals and Galbatorix so that the kingdom will be safe and the people safe. You were given a dragon to protect the people, not back down and live a safe life. Risking your life and dieing for a noble cause is better than living a safe life doing absolutely nothing to help. You're a rider so become one and learn to help the people around you and the ones you love." Eragon didn't know where the whole entire speech came from but he knew Brom would have been proud of him for that speech.

Looking at the girl, she showed no signs or emotions as she faced him, her face blank. Then, she turned her back and slowly walked out of the clearing.

Eragon shouted back, "Look at what your giving up, a chance to save someone, a chance to make a difference in someone's life. You're turning your back on someone who you could've saved. Don't turn your back on it!"

But there was no answer since all he could hear was her footsteps through the forest. Eragon gave a sigh. You can't win them all.

_erererereerererererrereerereererererrererererererererererrerereerrereererererererererreererererererrerereererrerererererere_

I'm sooo sorry it took this long to put up another chapter. I had finals and stuff and I just didnt have time. Well that was a long chapter and I hope everyone liked it. See I did keep my promise of Eragon waking up. Well thanks for the reviews and please review some more.

Love,

Lale


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